It’s a tough world out there for a stray cat. More often than not, stray cats find themselves in some pretty scary situations. Although there are a lot of good people out there willing to help out, there are also some pretty cruel people out there who intentionally hurt animals. When one woman adopted a shelter cat, she soon realized just how sinister the cat’s past really was.
20. Founder
Megan Sorbara is the founder of the non-profit charity Naples Cat Alliance. Since the NCA has been founded, the charity has worked hard to find homes for injured and neglected cats. Since her charity works with neglected cats, she has been in contact with cats who have been through pretty rough times.
19. Confused
Megan was used to seeing cats in some pretty bad shape, so she was pretty confused when one cat, in particular, was brought to her. The cat seemed to be in perfect shape and was happy. However, that’s when she noticed that the cat’s paws were painted purple.
18. 200 Miles Away
The cat was originally discovered by animal control officers almost 200 miles away from Megan’s charity. However, the animal control officers knew of Megan’s history and success with rehabilitating cats. They decided to make the trip over to her.
17. No-Kill Shelter
Megan’s shelter also happens to be a no-kill shelter, so the animal control officers knew that the cat would be safe. However, they had no idea what the purple paint on the cat’s paws meant. Soon, Megan would explain to them the horrible origin of the color.
16. Purple Paws
“Being in animal rescue, you hear and read about a lot of terrible things being done to poor innocent animals and then one day, the victim of one of these terrible things shows up at your door,” Megan said. Megan immediately knew what the purple markings meant.
15. Looks Good
“I consider myself pretty hardened to a lot of stuff,” Megan wrote in a Facebook post. “I have dealt with a lot of injured, emaciated, neglected and abused animals, but this one really got to me. By all accounts, he looks good.” However, the cat’s purple paws told a different story entirely.
14. Horrible Origins
What exactly did the purple markings mean? Well, according to Megan it meant that the cat was marked for dog fights. This horrible practice involves getting two dogs to fight each other while others gamble on the odds.
13. Illegal Practice
Dog fights are illegal all throughout the United States, however, that doesn’t stop cruel people from running fights illegally. In a dog fight, the two dogs are pitted up against each other. They often fight until the death or until one of the dogs runs away.
12. Smaller Animals
The worst part is that the people organizing these fights will often throw in smaller animals to antagonize the dogs. These smaller animals are used as sacrifices in an incredibly cruel game. Megan continued to explain the situation more.
11. Worst Part
The absolute worst part about all of this is that many times these small animals are adopted from shelters. Many shelters will give off the animals to the people organizing these fights without knowing any better. However, there’s a particular reason why the cat’s paws were marked purple.
10. Marked Coats
The reason that the cat’s paws were marked purple was to identify it during a fight, The people who bet on the animals use the markings to identify the animal that they’ve bet will die first. Megan was sickened by the entire situation and immediately notified the police.
9. Color-Coded
“They are ‘color-coded’ and then thrown to packs of dogs, while these sick barbarians place their bets,” Megan wrote in her post. What’s even worse is that Megan believes this cat was snatched away from his real home.
8. Snatched Away
“He could have been a cat who was owned, but they were just letting him free-roam,” Megan said. “I can’t imagine he was handled too nicely by these people when they were marking him. But I don’t really know what he was subjected to prior.”
7. Mr. Purple Paws
Megan eventually named the cat Mr. Purple Paws and she has a few ideas on how the cat may have been taken away. “Somebody must have left a door open. Or maybe he got away during transport while they’re going wherever they go to have these fights in the middle of the night, or when they are picking up a new litter of fighting puppies.”
6. Sweet Cat
It seems that no matter what the sweet cat had gone through, it didn’t break down his high spirits. “He’s just so sweet, rolling over on his back and giving head butts—just adorable,” Megan said. Everyone at the shelter easily fell in love with him!
5. Playful
“He doesn’t have a care in the world, he’s Mr. Happy,” Megan added. “He was playing with toys in his cage last night. You can just pick him up, carry him around on your shoulder—he likes to be held.” Soon, it was time for Mr. Purple Paws to be put up for adoption.
4. Adoption Time
With such a sweet personality, it’s no surprise that Mr. Purple Paws was quickly sought after once he was put up for adoption. Just one week after he had been placed in the care of the NCA, the kitty met his new adoptive dad. It was a great meeting and it was love at first sight.
3. Better Life
Mr. Purple Paws is now happily in his new home with his new adoptive dad. He no longer ever has to worry about being involved in a horrible situation like dog fights. However, not all kitties end up in such a good situation.
2. Marked Cats
According to Megan, anyone that sees a color-coded marked cat around should immediately contact local animal shelters. This could be the best way and the only way to save the animal’s life in such a dire situation.
1. Happy Home
Mr. Purple Paws is enjoying each and every day. He is quite lucky to have been discovered and brought over to the NCA. Dogfights are absolutely horrible practices and it is wonderful that Mr. Purple Paws was saved from a cruel fate.